Prosecutor to seek dismissal of case against DSK: report

Sunday, August 21, 2011 21:16

NEW YORK, Aug 21, 2011 (AFP) - The prosecutor in charge of the sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn will ask a judge Tuesday to dismiss all charges against the former IMF chief, the New York Post reported Sunday.

Citing sources close to the prosecutor, the Post said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was prepared to file a motion for dismissal, and said such motions are generally accepted by the judge.

If that is the case, Dominique Strauss-Kahn could be free to return to France immediately.

According to the Post, the motion will conclude that the charges against the former IMF managing director, accused by a hotel maid of sexually assaulting her May 14 at a Sofitel hotel in Manhattan, cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the motion, Vance is expected to review all the findings of his four month investigation, including new elements not previously known, that raise doubts about the credibility of Nafissatou Diallo, the newspaper added.

On Saturday, the woman's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, told the New York Times that he expected the charges to be dropped.

Vance has summoned Diallo and her lawyers to a meeting on Monday ahead of the latest hearing in the extraordinary three-month-long legal saga that led to Strauss-Kahn's resignation as head of the IMF and may have ruined his chances to seek France's presidency.